Definition

Noun: 1. A period in the past, often idealized, of great peace, prosperity, happiness, and cultural achievement. 2. The peak period of excellence or flourishing for a particular activity, skill, or field.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Many historians refer to the 5th century BCE in Athens as a golden age of philosophy and democracy.
  • The 1920s are often considered the golden age of jazz.
  • For the company, the 1990s represented a golden age of innovation and market dominance.
  • The novel is set during the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean.

Advanced Usage

• "to be in/have a golden age": to be experiencing or to have experienced a period of peak success.
  • The studio is currently in a creative golden age, producing one hit after another.
• "to usher in/mark a golden age": to signal the beginning of a particularly successful period.
  • The invention of the printing press ushered in a golden age of literature and learning.

Variants and Related Words

• Golden-era (adj, often hyphenated): relating to or characteristic of a golden age.
  • He is a collector of golden-era comic books.
• Gilded Age: A specific historical period (late 19th century in the U.S.) marked by rapid economic growth but also stark social inequality. (Note: This is a distinct, related term, not a variant of "golden age").

Synonyms

• Heyday: The period of a person's or thing's greatest success, energy, or popularity.
• Prime: The time when something is at its best or strongest.
• Peak: The highest point of achievement or development.
• Flourishing period: A time of thriving success.

Related Phrases

• The good old days: An informal, nostalgic phrase for a past time remembered as better than the present. (This is more sentimental and less specific than "golden age").

Related Idioms

• To be in one's element: To be in a situation where one feels happy and able to perform well. (This describes a personal state, not a historical period).
• The best of times: A phrase used to describe an exceptionally good period.

Noun

1. (classical mythology) the first and best age of the world, a time of ideal happiness, prosperity, and innocence; by extension, any flourishing and outstanding period
2. any period (sometimes imaginary) of great peace and prosperity and happiness
3. a time period when some activity or skill was at its peak
   • it was the golden age of cinema